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A proposed NCAA football rule change would slow down fast-paced offenses like Texas Tech by giving defenses time to make adjustments between plays.

The change would allow defensive players to substitute within the first 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock. That means the offense could not snap the football until the play clock wound down to 29 seconds, except for the final two minutes of each half. The penalty for snapping too soon: five yards.

“I will be very disappointed if that rule is passed,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said through a spokesman. “It makes absolutely no sense to me.”

Tech ran 1,136 plays last season, more than any team in major college football. The Red Raiders averaged 87.4 snaps per game.

“This rules change is being made to enhance student-athlete safety by guaranteeing a small window for both teams to substitute,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, chairman of the rules committee, said in a prepared statement. “As the average number of plays per game has increased, this issue has been discussed with greater frequency by the committee in recent years and we felt like it was time to act in the interests of protecting our student-athletes.”

Some college coaches raised questions about player safety with the up-tempo offenses last season, including Alabama’s Nick Saban.

“All you’re trying to do is get lined up [on defense],” Saban told ESPN.com. “You can’t play specialty third-down stuff. You can’t hardly scheme anything. The most important thing is to get the call so the guys can get lined up, and it’s got to be a simple call. The offense kind of knows what you’re doing.”

Washington State coach Mike Leach, who mastered hurry-up offenses when he coached at Texas Tech from 2000-2009, tweeted: “So anytime someone doesn’t want to go back to drawing board or re-work their solutions to problems, they beg for a rule.

“All this tinkering is ridiculous. I think it deteriorates the game. It’s always been a game of creativity and strategy. …First off, doubt it will pass. Second, it’s ridiculous.”

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If we're looking to protect our student athletes... let's not allow blitzing by more than 1 non-lineman. Let's also not allow a person to be lined up directly over the center when using the shot-gun. Let's also add a rule that doesn't allow zone coverage in the secondary (that's where most of the head to head and helpless receiver calls happen.
WAIT WAIT WAIT... how about Alabama and other whiners recruit athletes that are actually STUDENTS, and can think quickly and problem solve. That eliminated 1/3 of their team right there.

Yes Nick Saban is a good coach, but he whines entirely too much about spread offenses. Sorry coach some schools aren't blessed with the best talent in the world. So to make up for that they have to create mismatches or they speed the game up. This will only benefit the powerhouses, which if it does pass you know who owns the NCAA. It's stupid. I like Coach Lee's idea of the defense only being able to rush 1 down lineman. Or lets take it a step further, 5 Mississippi's must be counted out loud by a referee before the opposing defense can rush the QB. It's only fair! The offense is trying to get set too.

“All you’re trying to do is get lined up [on defense],” Saban told ESPN.com. “You can’t play specialty third-down stuff. You can’t hardly scheme anything. The most important thing is to get the call so the guys can get lined up, and it’s got to be a simple call. The offense kind of knows what you’re doing.”